Environment: The Neighborhood of Fear

Robert Kott loved the small, neat home overlooking Black Creek in the
southeastern corner of Niagara Falls, N.Y., a grimy industrial town
near the Canadian border. In the 14 years since he acquired it the
muscular chemical worker has spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of
hours painting, insulating and otherwise caring for his precious
property. But last week Kott called it quits, shuttering up the house
and fleeing with his wife Joann and their five children, ages seven to
15. Said he: "I don't...